Tom’s Oyster Bar

Love the lobster bisque. It is a bar though so not that comfortable for a sit down girl time meal. Great atmosphere. Good bartenders. Patio is nice during warmer months.

This place has good food but compared to the price I don’t think it’s worth it. My tab came out to $ 95 with several oysters a small pasta dish and 3 beers. The shrimp pasta was a little bland though.

Was a fan of Tom’s years ago when we lived in Grosse Pointe. Decide after 20 years it was time to try Toms again so we went to Royal Oak. It was not as we remembered. The chowder was as thick and rich as oat meal. It was not as we remembered. The perch and shrimp dish were served in bowls and the portions were small. It’s was also pretty expensive for what you end up getting. Over all it was just ok. Probably will not be going back.

Incredibly confused by some of the recent reviews citing a downturn in quality, portion size, overall experience. Had heard that the owners were able to poach away a fomer chef of the very good Bistro 82 and was excited to view his take on a seafood classic after tearing up the outdated menu and starting anew.
The net result was a stunning positive.
Began with the lobster taco — incredibly delicious. Nothing else to say. I could have eaten 5 of them.
Next was the tuna in ponzu, with cucumber ribbons and citrus supremes. Tuna appeared to be a good quality (a must given its method of preparation), and the flavors married well. Artistic plating was a common theme.
Had a bowl of the clam chowder next which has been a longtime favorite. This managed to stand out of a crowded pack.
Finished with the calamari, again, a now commonplace ingredient that managed to somehow become its own dish.
The wife ordered the fish n’ chips, fish was cooked well, and fries, with the spike of malt vinegar, were excellent.
Only criticisms were the slightly getting up to speed waitstaff, and the beer list. Truly, if Tom’s started serving beer from Ale Mary’s, I’d have a new favorite place to eat in Royal Oak.
As it is, one of the tastiest meals I’ve ever had in the city. A change for the better.

What the heck has happened to Tom’s Oyster Bar? Clearly it’s just not the same place.
Six of us came in for lunch expecting the great experience we’ve always had in the past. We were deeply disappointed when we looked at the menu. There were hardly any choices. I even asked the waitress, «Is there another menu coming?» It looked more like a specials sheet and was very pared down. Most of the varied choices were gone. She was extremely apologetic saying she hears that EVERY DAY from disappointed customers. Gone were the wonderful selections that Tom’s built its reputation on. We all came in for seafood and drinks but left without ordering anything taking our business elsewhere.
Tom’s are you listening? Not that six cutomers would make or break your day, but given your place was empty how is this sustainable? It looks like your server (who was very sweet) would have loved to accommodate us and was very apologetic and frustrated for not being able to do so. This is 6 previously devoted customers most of whom will likely never go back. We felt bad for the server because it was money she lost as well.
Sad…It’s just not the same Tom’s Oyster Bar. I say change the name to something else like «Bob’s Small Plates & Bar» because what you have now, doesn’t reflect the brand you’ve cultivated for so many years. At least that way, you won’t disappoint your long time customers.
Luckily, the Clam Chowder was still on the menu so I personally will come back for that, but I doubt the others will be back.

Great seafood, great service. And the atmosphere is pure fun. The short rib small plate was so delicious, I would go back for that alone. The salmon was prepared perfectly with just the right size portion. The new menu is very interesting — there’s several dishes I want to go back and try.

Oysters are about $ 3 each if you don’t come for their $ 1 oysters during happy hour. Street parking or lot parking for a flat rate of $ 5. I’m not sure if there is a fee in the day time.
Their beer selection isn’t that great and their menu choices are quite slim.
I ordered the clam chowder and it came out room temperature and for the price I felt they should’ve gave more. Food was mediocre. Our waitress was awesome though!

After reading a recent review in another publication, I just had to add my 2 cents… The lines in that article which caught my attention mentioned «gut-​busting portions» & «heaping portions» which are now «a lot smaller than what clientele of the 20-​year staple may be accustomed to.»
WHAT A JOKE! The primary reason I STOPPED going to Tom’s some time ago was due to the fact that I and several others whom I would dine with believed the portions were well below average size and our money was not being spent appropriately. Now, they’ve gone and made plates even smaller in size? ¿?
Perhaps they can invite the various birds flying about on the street to dine in and be satisfied. From reading several other Unilocal reviews, I’m not the only one with this mindset…

First visit– will definitely not be the last! Everything was delish and fresh, loved the chilled shellfish experience. Drinks were moderately priced, can’t wait to try happy hour.

Just left Tom’s and I have to say it was disappointing. We’ve been going here for years and to our surprise they’ve changed the menu. Should have realized by the lack of customers that something was up. With that being said, we gave it a shot and my perch dinner was more like an appetizer. Nothing like the past. And although tasty, $ 19 price tag was a bit high. My wife chose the $ 29 Seafood boil. The crab was very salty and the boiled red skins were not cooked through. And although it was more of a «meal» than my perch, the price tag didn’t match the quality. Our waitress Abbey (?) was the best part.
Don’t think we will be dining here in the future, but will come back for the famous Spanish Coffees.

I’ve eaten at Tom’s many times over the years and enjoyed it but on my most recent visit (October, 2015), I saw several not-​so-​good changes. The menu has been completely revamped, and while change can be a good thing for restaurants, I was pretty dismayed to see my most favorite dish — Seafood Pasta Aurora — gone. Now, most of the menu items are small-​plate dishes with truly tiny portions and high prices. Even the «regular size» menu items feature portions that are perhaps one-​third the size of what Tom’s used to serve prior to this menu change. To my way of thinking, it’s just not reasonable to charge almost $ 20 for a shrimp entrée that comes with just five medium-​size shrimp.
Before the menu change, there would be nightly specials written on the overhead chalk boards. No more. Before the menu change, it was hard to decide what to order because so many things looked tempting. No more.
TOB, please bring back the menu that made you our go-​to place for casual seafood meals!

What happened to the food here? The drinks are still the same which I guess is more important. We got the lobster bisque and clam chowder and both were a bit cold. Then we got the perch and crab boil. Do you remember the taco bell commercial where the couple goes to a fine dining restaurant and gets tiny servings? Afterwards they go to Taco Bell because they are still hungry. Well… it’s not that different. I would also say that the food was a bit bland. They are getting 3 stars just for the drinks. Food is a 1 star.

I liked the old menu. The new menu looked really good, so I came in after the spooktacular.
The bartender was very friendly and helpful. The tuna in ponzu was amazing. Light and refreshing with cucumber ribbons, and small pieces of grapefruit.
The Cod was not so good. The batter tasted nice but the cod was very undercooked and mushy. We couldn’t eat it. But the Brussels sprout slaw it came with was delicious. And I hate Brussel sprouts. The French fries were hands down, the best fries I’ve ever had. Salt and dehydrated vinegar, cooked to a perfect golden brown.
The rest of the menu looked really good too. If not for the awful cod, this would’ve been five stars, easy.
Overall, very impressed and looking to eat more.

I used to really enjoy Tom’s and it had been one of my favorite restaurants for years. Recently I decided to eat there for my birthday dinner and discovered a new menu which is primarily small plates.
My mom ordered the fish and chips and I got salon with potatoes. I wish I would have taken a picture of how small these meals were because it was comical. Granted we were warned by the waiter that the portions are meant for sharing but it looked like some food from Honey I Shrunk the Kids! The portions have shrunk immensely and the prices seem to have stayed the same.
It was a disappointing meal especially for the price. Now I know why everyone was next door at Ale Mary’s! Too many good restaurants in the area to be disappointed again.

Went to Toms last night. I haven’t been here before and I had a 3 year old expired groupon, which they took. We loaded up on happy hour peel and eat shrimp and the $ 1 oysters. Our second appetizer consisted of more (regular priced) oysters and clam chowder! The oysters are so fresh and the clam chowder was very good! My husbands dinner was the crab tar tar which is more like a crab cake without being fried. I had the mussels. I have never in my life had mussels prepared with a milky corn broth, with jalapeños and tomatoes. It was fantastic! Our waiter was extremely attentive and quick. He timed every course perfectly. We will be back!

Been here a few times, but the last time I went I was able to really try a variety! I went with my mom and grandma, we all got a couple things and just sat outside and shared everything. Everything was so good. The lobster tail we all liked, my mom got a cut of meat that she loved, the firecracker shrimp was one of the best I’ve tried. The spinach artichoke dip was my favorite, I could have licked the bowl of it was socially acceptable to do so. My grandma loved the Lobster Bisque, surprisingly she raved about it when she usually complains about anything and everything. Her sister loved everything too, and she has Alzheimer’s so if she can remember she liked it then it must be pretty good. I took a star away because a couple of things we got were super small portions and a little over priced in my opinion… But the service, atmosphere, and good quality is all in tune!

I always drove by this place, but never got a chance to try it until yesterday. There was much hype, but sadly, I was let down. Pros and cons, as usual.
+Attentive server.
+Crazy good mussels
+A variety of seafood dishes to choose from.
+Oysters were DELICIOUS. Seriously, best ever. Plus no shell fragments.
–Bloody Mary not good. At all.
–About a quarter of the mussels we ordered didn’t open yet, which means they weren’t cooked properly. I ate one that was half-​open, and it tasted raw. Raw mussels do not taste good, trust me. The waitress offered to reheat it, and after that it was fine, but I’d rather have it be done right the first time.
–Calimari not that good. Thin and clumpy, but the sauce to dip it in was great!
–Tuna Tar-​Tar was ok at best. Would be better if tuna was more finely chopped, as well as using something more high-​quality than dollar-​store saltines to serve it with.
If you’re going to come here, I’d suggest just ordering oysters and skipping the rest of the food, unless you’re fa fan of mediocrity. If you’re in the mood for seafood, go to Joe’s crab shack or Red Lobster, or heck, just go buy your own seafood and boil it at home.

In all honesty, they are only good for the Spanish coffees and maybe if you sit on the patio — it’s relaxing. But, overall it’s not that amazing. It is over hyped, overpriced, and the servers seem unhappy working there.
Sorry Tom’s but, when I think Seafood — I think Fresh and with beautiful color. Not sloppy and rushed!

Went here today for RO Restaurant Week, and ironically I had just been to Ale Mary’s (sister restaurant, also connected to it) the week before.
PROS:
−5÷5 stars for the food. I’m not a seafood person (I had won $ 50 in Tom’s gift cards, that’s why my parents and I went) so I got the salad, the grilled cheese sandwich, and the Godiva chocolate mousse. VERY good. The sandwich had goat cheese and dill, and was on challah bread, and the salad had some sort of balsamic vinagrette that was fantastic. The chocolate mousse was also very good, although weirdly enough I liked my mom’s key lime pie more (weirdly because I’m usually not a key lime fan).
–The restaurant itself is small but cozy. Very maritime-​feeling which makes sense.
CONS:
–Bathroom floor was a little slippery. Not sure why.
–Our waiter was friendly enough but didn’t really seem to like his job.
–The guy who seated us didn’t give us a RORW menu — I had to ask to get one. However, he later seated another couple near us and they had the RORW menus, so this could have been just us.
I’d come here again just for the salad or grilled cheese (or mousse, actually) — all were good. It was also a lot less crowded than Ale Mary’s next door. At the bar, people were ordering Spanish coffees which looked intriguing, too (they were lit on fire) so I believe they do weekly or daily drink specials. Bar was also fairly crowded which was interesting (like 3pm on a Sunday).

New menu is excellent! Many interesting options and the specials were very good.
Whole sardine with crunchy topping, pesto, so good!
Clam poutine is interesting. Fries with clams, clam chowder on top, Parmesan cheese
Special port chop was amazing!!! On top of whipped sweet potatoes, turnips and Brussel sprouts. Best entrée we’ve had in a long time.
Good work on refreshed menu and new offerings.
You did it! Worlds best cup of coffee!!! –buddy the elf. No joke. Spanish coffee is very good. Best after a meal or cold day. Today we had both. Good job